Q What are damages in a law- suit and how are they determined?

A Damages are part of every civil lawsuit. Before we go any further, let me explain the difference between a civil and a criminal action. When a nurse has been sued for malpractice, this is a civil lawsuit. The malpractice suit is the result of negligence in the nurse’s practice, normally an unintentional behavior that caused injury to a patient. In contrast, a criminal action is the result of a crime, such as homicide, manslaughter, conspiracy, fraud, and abuse. It is a deliberate, premeditated, willful and intentional action that causes harm. In a criminal action, if the defendant is convicted, the punishment can be time spent incarcerated. In a civil action, restitution for the injury is made through money payments; these money payments are called damages.

There are 3 different types of damages that are available to...

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